By By Lane Nichols of 
Auckland Council received 32,478 noise complaints in 2023, compared to 43,849 for the same period in 2022. Photo: The Herald / Alex Burton
It's a humble blue collar street in a working class neighbourhood full of families, shift workers and many rented homes.
But Panorama Rd in Mt Wellington can lay claim to one of Auckland's most unwanted accolades.
A dilapidated flat in a block of five rundown units triggered more noise complaints this year than any other property across the Super City.
Neighbours at the end of their tether lodged 65 complaints about the din emitted from the flat between 1 January and 12 November.
However city-wide, the number of noise complaints made to Auckland Council fell dramatically over the past year, which officials are linking to 2023′s dreadful wet weather, fewer rowdy outdoor parties and a crackdown on "habitual noise offenders".
Local resident Shannon Blucher said his cousin was the main antagonist at Panorama Rd.
Shannon Blucher says his dying cousin often played music from 6pm to 6am, driving her Panorama Rd neighbours around the bend. Photo: The Herald / Michael Craig
The cousin - who is battling the final stages of a terminal disease - lived in the offending flat with her 501 Australian deportee boyfriend until October when it's understood she moved out and the boyfriend went to prison.
Blucher said his cousin often played loud music "from 6pm to 6am", which sent some of her neighbours around the bend.
One man, who had a baby and started work at the crack of dawn every day, made multiple complaints about the noise, Blucher said, and was sometimes driven to taking matters into his own hands.
"Come 9 o'clock, he's already throwing pebbles over the fence. The poor bugger was throwing stones at the house and actually broke a window.
"He was saying, 'Hey can you turn the music down,' but they couldn't hear him. They had no respect for how loud it was."
Blucher, who lives next door, said his cousin had a constant rotation of "90s hip hop, 80s - not so much rock but remixes of old school jams - and Motown but with a heavy beat behind it, which your neighbours really don't want to hear".
"From 6pm onwards, the music wouldn't stop. It became very monotonous day in and day out."
Blucher said it was important to look out for neighbours and keep a lid on the noise.
However, he also empathised with his dying cousin.
"She just wanted to enjoy whatever time she had left and the songs were filling her heart with joy."
Until recently the block of flats was owned by Nick Hoogwerf - a disgraced real estate agent who is now barred from the industry for forging a valuation document.
Another resident in the flats, Chase Hopa, said his family moved in in February.
The grass on the lawn had been waist-high, the property was uninsulated and rats were coming in through a hole in the wall, Hopa claimed.
Earlier this year, the Armed Offenders Squad descended on the flats after a police chase which ended in two officers being assaulted, he said.
"It's like Police Ten 7," Hopa's partner told the Herald.
Hopa said the noise from Blucher's cousin's unit was often out of control and he could understand why it triggered so many complaints.
"The bass was very loud, thumping all the time to the point that it would shake their window.
"Parties, shouting - all of it. There was domestic violence. It was quite bad."
A property manager told the Herald the new landlord had spent a significant amount upgrading the property to bring it up to standard.
He said the former tenant abandoned the property several months ago.
Figures released by Auckland Council under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show the council received 32,478 noise complaints this year, compared to 43,849 for the same period in 2022.
Council manager for alcohol and environmental health Mervyn Chetty said 2023′s cold, wet weather had a "dampening effect" on noise complaints, with few outdoors parties and more windows and doors being closed.
The council had also been targeting repeat offenders with abatement notices if multiple Excessive Noise Direction (END) notices had been served in a 12-month period.
The abatement notices require the occupier to stop creating further excessive noise, and if breached can lead to a $750 fine.
The council said it could only take action when noise was deemed excessive or when it breached Auckland Unitary Plan limits.
Noise could be heard from another property without it being considered excessive or enforceable.
"Some people are very much affected by noise, others not nearly as much. Your neighbours may not realise how much their noise is bothering you, so it is always worth talking to them about it in the first instance if possible."
If that failed, residents should call Auckland Council when the noise was occurring so action could be taken.
"If an enforcement officer is called out to investigate and they determine the noise to be excessive, they may serve a written direction to reduce noise, which is in force for up to eight days. Failure to obey the direction can result in equipment seizure, an infringement fee of $500 or prosecution in the District Court with a potential fine of up to $10,000."
The council urged people to be considerate of their neighbours, especially heading into the festive season, by minimising noise, advising neighbours in advance of parties and keeping windows and doors closed.
*This story was first published on The Herald.
